Zogby International


 * Trustee, Center for the Study of the Presidency
 * Advisory Board, Soliya

TAP weighs in


 * By hiring the renowned pollster John Zogby, the group had essentially purchased an objective fact, one that entered into the conventional wisdom via the nation's leading Sunday magazine.


 * Media coverage of polling results often neglects to mention the self-interestedness of the sponsor, and John Zogby is a leading enabler.


 * What these polls have in common is that they reveal "findings" that their sponsors wish the public to believe as facts. And Zogby's standing as a reputable pollster buys instant credibility.


 * Zogby protests that he can't control the misuse of sound survey data by interest groups and incautious journalists. And, in fairness, Zogby is just one link in a chain of misinformation. Any criticism of him is also, inevitably, a criticism of major media organizations whose skeptical faculties, when it comes to polling, are suspended.


 * Because Zogby works for both left and right, it's often assumed that he serves the causes of truth and objectivity. Unlike partisan pollsters, who are known for giving their own parties some padding in surveys,

Copyright © 2003 by The American Prospect, Inc. Preferred Citation: Chris Mooney, "John Zogby's Creative Polls," The American Prospect  vol. 14 no. 1, February 1, 2003.

SourceWatch Resources

 * public polling industry
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Republican Campaign Ads
 * U.S. presidential election, 2004: Democrat Campaign Ads